OzSTOC
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Old Steve on November 09, 2014, 10:35:23 AM
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We've been looking at bikes for the long term that suit our specific pillioning needs. Saturday morning my wife and I went over to the local Honda agency to take the Honda F6B for a test ride. Afterwards we dropped in to the Harley agency to check out just what is available - Harley model descriptions are a bit of a mystery to me. My experiences ...
I'd been asking for a test ride of the F6B for 2 or 3 weeks, at first it wasn't available because it had a faulty battery and "Honda take forever to handle warranty claims." The Honda agency had only 2 Honda cruisers in stock, the F6B and a Shadow 750. Yesterday the F6B was ready, we were referred to a young salesman. We went for a 5 km ride accompanied by the salesman. Nice bike, but the ride went along mainly 80 km/hr roads. The salesman rode a Victory Hammer, and when we stopped to discuss the F6B the Hammer toppled over doing probably a thousand dollars damage. When we got back to the agency I asked if they had a brochure on the bike, no but they'd download something from the net and email it to me. They asked if I knew the price of the F6B? Yeah, about $26,000, yes that's about right. Could I see inside the panniers, the salesman made many attempts to open them but couldn't. The bike had a short sissy bar on it, but this is bolted on and requires tools to remove and replace - they didn't know if a higher sissy bar was available. The Panniers don't come off.
Just dropped into the Harley agency on the spur of the moment on the way home. Lots of cruisers there but that's their only line of business. The Sales Manager came over and asked if he could help. He must've spent half an hour with us, knew every concern we had, explained how his wife felt riding pillion. Most of the bikes on display had those single seats or skimpy pillion seats on them and I mentioned we were interested in pillioning. He showed us the wall where there were 9 or 10 full pillion seats hung up, took us to a bike and showed how the smaller seats could just be changed for the full pillion seat with just a click of a latch. He took us to a Street Glide and went over it, showed how a panniers could be removed with a small screw driver or coin and half a turn of two slotted bolts. Showed how the sissy bar could be taken off with just two latches from little spool/holders, showed us the taller sissy bar, showed us the optional luggage rack and how it just clipped on like the sissy bar. The rear suspension can be adjusted with just an easy accessible dial. Gave us a 30 or 40 page brochure which contained a current price list for the Harley rang. He told us about the Harley demo day in two weeks and said if we wanted a ride next weekend then the bike would be available. On the demo day the bikes are ridden in groups every half an hour with a lead and tail-end-Charlie and the rides go about 15 km with quite a bit of 100 km/hr zone in it.
I'd never considered a Harley before. Now I understand why there are so many around. They made the Honda agency look amateurish by comparison. Like I said, I'd never considered a Harley before, but I could now.
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Customer service is so important Steve, cant blame you for thinking more about the Harley, but I guess it doesnt matter what
your shopping for big or small it just shows that a little respect and interest for customers goes a long way.
Think we have all been in that position at some or other. It is so wrong.
Good luck with what ever choice you make mate.
Pockey :grin
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My experience is the same. The Harley guys really know how to look after a customer which is probably why so many people get sucked into buying them.
I walked into Frasers in Newcastle which has Harley and Honda. I walked in through the Harley section and was asked by two different people if I could be helped. Then I walked through into Honda section where I actually wanted to buy something and all I got was crickets. Nothing. Not a peep. Even though they had more people to serve me. No one wants to be mauled by sales people but I do expect to be approached to see if I want assistance.
I am really partial to a Ducati Diavel and while I was there spent a good 15 minutes admiring one they had on display there at Frasers. I was dressed well (coming back from a funeral) and for once looked like I had the money to buy it. The guy sat at his desk playing with his mobile, gave me a couple of cursory glances but that was it.
Harley marketing is superb. They know how to milk their customers for every cent. Their bikes come out with a certain amount of chrome and bling on them, enough to make them appealing but they have a huge catalog of bits and pieces to customize your bike. My work colleague spent 27k on a Fat Boy and to date another 6k customising it. He has spent more than 20% of the value of the bike on chrome bits and pieces which would be flat out costing 500 bucks.
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Well... to be fair the Harley guys only need to know about one model.
All the Honda shops I've ever seen usually deal in more then one brand of bike, and all the different model the go along with that, and also the fact that they many not many people asking about the model you're asking about, he might be an expert on another model. So I can kinda excuse the Honda guy for not know his stuff.
Either that or you got a bad salesperson.
The guy I spoke to in Peter Stevens Honda in Melbourne really talked me through the entire bike, when I was looking.
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Well... to be fair the Harley guys only need to know about one model.
All the Honda shops I've ever seen usually deal in more then one brand of bike, and all the different model the go along with that, and also the fact that they many not many people asking about the model you're asking about, he might be an expert on another model. So I can kinda excuse the Honda guy for not know his stuff.
Either that or you got a bad salesperson.
The guy I spoke to in Peter Stevens Honda in Melbourne really talked me through the entire bike, when I was looking.
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Sorry about the previous unanswered quote.
Marcus these guys didn't even do me the honour of lowering themselves to talk to me. Maybe because I was clean shaven and in a suit they thought I was a cop. Or probably the Defendant more likely
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Yeah fair call.
I was actually replying to OldSteve :D
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Oops sorry mate. And heres me thinking it was all about me.
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Oops sorry mate. And heres me thinking it was all about me.
LOL... Don't beat yourself up about it. I think about me all the time too
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Maybe because I was clean shaven and in a suit they thought I was a cop. Or probably the Defendant more likely
They say the only people who wear suits to court are the criminals :hijacked
:crackup
:wht11